High School Matters: Discovering the Guests at Gatsby’s PartyAnn Marie QuinlanAbstract: Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.

Speaking My Mind: To Teach Writing, You Too Must Get Your Ass KickedChristina BerchiniAbstract: “Speaking My Mind” invites readers to speak out about controversial issues relevant to the teaching of English language arts.

EJ in Focus: Rethinking Research: Reading and Writing about the Roots of Gentrification Linda ChristensenAbstract: The author uses primary sources to help her students learn about the gentrification that displaced the African American community of Portland, Oregon.

Lights, Camera, Write: How Scene Writing Can Help Students Write in Multiple GenresDarren MassermanAbstract: Scene writing can make writing seem less like a chore and more like an opportunity to express ideas, helping students realize they can be effective writers.

Research as Creative Practice: Two Metaphors for Teaching and LearningMichael Stancliff and Maureen Daly GogginAbstract: The authors recommend geography and conversation as generative metaphors for teaching and learning creative research methods.

Photos as Witness: Teaching Visual Literacy for Research and Social ActionKiran SubhaniAbstract: Using photojournalism as a catalyst for social action, students investigate both the story behind a photo and the opposing viewpoints on the social issue it represents.

Connected Reading Is the Heart of ResearchKristen Hawley Turner and Troy HicksAbstract: By sharing instructional practices and describing digital tools, the authors argue that a mindful, social model of connected reading is a crucial part of any research activity.

Trespasser No More: Students as ColumnistsGregory ShaferAbstract: This author suggests that the research paper take the form of a national column authored by students, giving them authority and a sense of empowerment.

Keeping the Mic On: Emboldening Voices through Discussion-Based InquiryJacquelynn A. Malloy, Angela M. Rogers, and Susan Cridland-HughesAbstract: A practice of discussion-based pedagogy based on inquiry and research empowers students to wield their voices in the academic setting.

Venturing More Than a Guess: Self-Actualization through Literary Seminar and ResearchElizabeth A. Dagrosa HarrisAbstract: Effective and meaningful literary research combines concrete, measurable research skills with authentic inquiry and dialogue among peers.

Preparing Our Close Readers for the New LiteraciesRaymond PapeAbstract: Though online reading may seem to be at cross purposes with “on paper” close reading, this author suggests how the two may successfully intersect.

Putting Research Center Stage: Performance-Driven Student InquiryKathryn R. TaylorAbstract: This article examines how to use performance-related resources to teach research skills and research-based argumentation, focusing in particular on Shakespeare’s Othello.

Using Text Sets to Foster Critical InquiryDawan Coombs and Devery BellinghamAbstract: This article explores three ways a teacher incorporated text sets into her seventh-grade classroom to foster authentic inquiry.

Dodging the “R” Word: Research as a Tacit ProcessHeather HurstAbstract: In a podcast assignment, students design a project, interview at least one person, and analyze their data—all without realizing they are doing original research.

Putting Research on Stage: Playwriting in the English ClassroomMary Frances Buckley-Marudas and Joshua BlockAbstract: The authors examine what happened when students were asked to enact and perform their research on a student-selected human rights issue.

The 2014 Honor List: A Medley of Cultures and CharactersAlleen Pace Nilsen, James Blasingame Jr., and Don L. F. NilsenAbstract: EJ readers are offered a look at some of the best YA books of 2014.

Poem: Exit Malvolio or Cross-Garter This, Bill!Dallas Crow

Poem: Metrical ConsiderationsMelanie Swetz

Poem: A Lesson in EtymologyRichard Schiffman

Book Reviews: Uncommon Core and A Non-Freaked Out Guide to Teaching the Common CoreRobert M. Babirad; Ken Lindblom

Disabling Assumptions: Achieving full inclusion via Narratives in the Secondary English ClassroomChristopher BassAbstract: This column explores how paying attention to disability—both to the rich contributions made by people with disabilities and to the sometimes negative attitudes in society that can interfere with those contributions—can foster classroom interactions that are more democratic, more inclusive, and more equitable.

Soft(a)ware in the English Classroom: Inquiry in an Age of QueryTom Liam LynchAbstract: “Soft(a)ware in the English Classroom” seeks to identify the ways in which our teaching and learning lives are influenced by software.

Speaking Truth to Power: Caring Critical Literacy: The Most Radical Pedagogy You Can Offer Your StudentsSusan Cridland-HughesAbstract: "Speaking Truth to Power" seeks to explore the experiences and possibilities that arise when educators speak Truth to power.